“Britches” or “trousers”? Do I look like I’m 90 years old?
I’ve only used “britches” in the “too big for your britches” phrase. To me, it sounds more like underwear than pants.
I DO say trousers, but in a specific way. “Trousers” only refer to my office wear pants – woven/twill/etc meant to look smart with a sweater or tailored shirt (I’m a chick). I also use “trouser cut” for jeans that, well, are cut like trousers. 
Trouser jeans aren’t fitted and have legs that are more of a sleek straight leg/slight wide leg. They’re most often made with a thinner and softer denim in a solid dark wash and have a wider, trouser-esque waist band/placket with hook and eye or decorative button closures at the top, along with slanted front pockets.
Interestingly, I don’t use trousers for any dude pants.
When speaking, I only say pants. However when cataloguing my ridiculously large collection, I identify certain pants as trousers. I primarily differentiate between pants (jeans, khakis, corduroys, knit pants, etc.) and suit pants, which would be dressier pants for work. Trousers would be dressier pants which weren’t part of an actual suit. But if I were talking to someone about them, I would still call them pants.
I am female and native Californian.
I was going to say “nice simulpost” zweisamkeit, but how did it take me 14 minutes to post that?
Occasionally trousers, maybe once or twice I’ve said britches. I’ve noticed Texans using britches often.
Pants. I’ve certainly never uttered the word “britches” in my life, and I’ve said “trousers” only on a rare occasion where I wanted to make some kind of a point or distinction.
Pants, slacks. Like aceplace (and others, I’m sure), the only time I hear ‘britches’ used is when it’s preceded by ‘too big for your,’ or as the name of an upscale men’s clothing store.
I’ll say “britches” every once in a while. I’m pretty sure my grandmother, who grew up in rural KY, used it more frequently.
“Trousers” is a word I’d only expect to see in a British novel or a clothing catalog.
Yep Tennessee girl and I say britches as often as I say pants. I don’t think I’ve ever used the word trousers. If I did I would probably be referring to men’s dress pants, because that’s what I think of when I see the word.
My papaw always called me Little Britches.
I only say “pants” but in describing a type of pants, I might say “trousers”, meaning a dressier pant women wear.
Britches = Larry the Cable Guy
Trousers = Montgomery Burns’ Mother.
I sometimes use britches or trousers. In fact, I wrote britches into my song Camel Toes, a guy singing about his girlfriend who wears skin-tight clothes:
I’ve been called a letcher and a pervert
that’s all right
But I am not the one who pulls my
britches up so tight
In fact, you can hear a lame ancient recording of the song right here.
I usually say “pants” but often use “trousers” because it strikes me funny when spoken with an indifferent Mick Jagger drawl. *“I think I busted a button on my trousers…You don’t want my trousers to fall down, do ya?” *
I only use “britches” or “trousers” if I’m going to put an onion on my belt, as was the fashion of the day.
I sometimes say “Trousies,” but only in fun.
“Now these are the trousies he used to wear,
them very same buttons, the patch and the tear,
but Uncle Sam gave him a bran new pair, [sic]
when they grafted him into the army.”
Henry Clay Work.
Drawers all the way.
Same here. “Pants” is the catchall for me. Then either “jeans” or “slacks”. If I say “khakis”, I’m usually referring to my shorts.
I vaguely remember a Saturday Night Live sketch where Dan Aykroyd (I think) was giving investment advice, except instead of stocks, he was selling words:
Not everyone can afford a blue chip word like “the”, but there are bargains out there if you’re smart. Twenty years ago “jeans” and “dungarees” were trading at about the same price, but which one would you rather own today? (With a wink and wry smile.)
That’s heavily paraphrased, but I can’t find the actual sketch online.
It’s funny how language we hear as children influences our adult speech. I would normally say pants in most situations. I’m not even aware when I say britches instead. I noticed last night that I had commented about doing the laundry so I’d have clean britches. <shrug> Something my grandparents used to say. Always in that context of laundry and having clean clothes to wear.
I guess I am defined in many ways by my grandparents and parents. I don’t mind one bit.
I say pants almost all the time. Slacks would be next most common word I use. I’d say jeans, but only if the pants were in fact jeans. Trousers, I’d use less often than slacks, though my parents said that commonly. I believe I’ve only ever heard a live person (not on TV, movie, in book) say britches was when I was a kid and it was used in some phrase implying a spanking. This most commonly was “too big for your (his, her, etc.) britches” though I also heard “take down your britches” or “tan your britches”.
Oh my god, words cannot describe how much I hate the word “slacks”. Hate hate hate. I will admit I can’t put my finger on WHY, exactly. But I do. How the hell did that become a word meaning “pants”?